The Penn's Grove record., 1887-01-29

their truth, or possibly some did so whc
we're not in "A position to aid us.n
81 see,n and Uncle Fred spoke now
as if dreamily, "ThereI l must leave
you, Miss Josephine. Very sorry for il
very sorry, indeed. Have just sud
denly remembered something. You'll
excuse my running away thus abruptly.
won't you? Will be a trifle moro court
eous next time. Horribly ~hard-hearted
of the reople; wasn't it. Miss Jose
phine?" And thus talking glibly-as
if, too, he did not exactly know what
he was saying-Uncle Fred lifted bis
hat and disappeared.
The following Thursday morning,
just as Miss Josephine was starting
for her usual daily occupation, a letter
was placed In her hand by the postman
after reading which, that young lady
marched deliberately upstairs again
removed her hat and CLOAK, chased
away with her pocket-handkerchief q
great many tears that for some reason
or other would insist upon pouring
down her cheeks, and then set to work
to re-read the following words:
DEAR Miss JOSEPHINE: Pardon
my abrupt leave-taking yesterday; but
l will now explain. Returning home
expressly by way of the p~ost-oflce, l
did a small stroke of business there on
my own account.
"Miss Elsie Falconbridge was out,
having gone to spend the evening with
the widowed, and, alasi now childless
mother of her once, and 50 lately, too,
sailor lover. We have, however, al
ready spoken together-you and I-of
this unlooked-for event, and also of the
brave way IN which Miss Elsie bears
the heavy blow.
"But L would now speak of some
thing else-so selfish are we all in this
world, you see. l persuaded the good
dame, Janet Lisle, to assist me in some.
thing which was puzZling me not a lit
tie.
81 heard last evening, for the first
time, OF course-and also from your
own lips, most strange to say-that a
t~wenty-dollar note, which l had sent
you in answer to your advertisement
asking for aid, never reached you. 1t
had not, / now find. been miscarried In
the ordinary way that letters do occa-
~sionally go astray; but it vas as impos-
possible, you will presently see, that it
should ever have reached your abode,
as the residence of one Of the ancient
p~atriarchs.
''The letter containing the amount
named was, it appears, although PLACED
in a registered envelope for which /
duly paid, never dispatched; and in the
hurry-skurry Of the moment it was
never entered, either, in the official
book. The fault was, of course. my
own, quite as much as that of any one
else; but every one was asking hurried
questions at the moment, and my letter
yours, rather - paid the penalty,
Then, as fate would have it, it landed
itself otherwise than in the legitimate
post-bag, and dropped, how, is best
known to itself, behind a drawer that
is rarely opened.
'ForgIye the details, however, Janet
Lisle has only discovered the thus hid
den-away misslve half an hour before l
appeared upon the scene-mark the
c0incidence-and was in a state of no
little CONSERVATION.
"Picture also my own dismay.
"The mystery, however, is now
solved.
81 will not again tender the amount
for your acceptance, as there certainly
seems to be something unfortunate
attending its c~areer--bssides which, |,
on my part, am going to ask a favor
from yourself.
"WIll you. | ask, become my wife,
and also kindly acknowledge the re-
ceIpt of this letter, or l shall be COM
PEELED to take 1t for granted that my
second communication has shared the
fate of my first.
UNCLE FRED
miss Josephine, like a wiss
woman, answered the letter just re.
ceived by return of post.
The years have flown since then, and
matters so on much as usual in that
small township of Lammerton.
But there are changes, nevertheless.
Janet Llsle knows her place no more
in the cozy little p~ost-ofice. She has
already gone home long since to rest,
and sweet Elsie Falconbridge is now
the mistress OF everything. Her hair,
however, though still beautiful, is in
these days whlte-white as the driven
snow; and the abiding expression upon
her still handsome face is that Of one
who has passed through a mighty and
also terrible sea OF trouble, and borne
the trial only as a true heroine could.
She knows, she says, that God has Or
dered all. and that she shall see her
sailor lover again one day in Heaven.
But there is still one person in the
world whom she loves dearly, and that
is the happy. true hearted wife of
''Uncle Fred"
II owe all-every bit--in fact, of my
happiness to you, sweetest Elsie," as
Josephine says. at all dates from the
day-don't you remsmberf-when you
gave ME mullins and crumpets."
'.And also dispatched my registered
letter SO carefully" remarks Uncle
Fred, quantity,